Pudge to the Yankees: How Will the Red Sox and Rays Respond?

When Jorge Posada went down with an injury, the Yankees were faced with the difficult prospect of being without a starting-quality catcher. Not any more. Giving up only Kyle Farnsworth, the Bombers acquired Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers.

Pudge gives the Yankees Gold-Glove defense, and he can hit for average (he is approaching .290).  Suddenly, the weakest position on the roster is a relative strength once again and Rodriguez can only help the Yankees continue their recent hot streak. In addition, Rodriguez has played for a World Series winner (Florida 2003) and would be solid in the playoffs as well.

Meanwhile, Boston and Tampa have done little to improve their teams.

The Sox now have David Ortiz back in the lineup, but the Manny Ramirez soap-opera has erupted again. Ramirez is a distraction, but if Boston trades him, it will probably hurt the team's offense in the short-term. The Sox have a good pitching staff, but were unwilling (or unable) to trade for Rich Harden or C.C. Sabathia in an attempt to put the team over the top and into the division lead.

If the Yankees continue to rack up the wins, will the Red Sox be able to stay in second, let alone over-take the Rays?

Tampa has fallen off their previous pace somewhat, yet has remained silent in the trade market.  There is a rumor that they will try to add Jason Bay from Pittsburgh before the deadline, but so far nothing has come of it.  The Rays have a good farm system, however, and might be able to add a bat.

On the other hand, the Rays have some potentially marquee players in the minors, so they will probably use call-ups to complete their playoff push. Also, they can afford to wait, since they are exceeding expectations this season and are currently in first place.

The AL East race just became even tighter and it will certainly continue to be one of the best story-lines to follow as the season continues into August and September.